作者：王曉輝

琴棋書畫，并稱“文人四藝”，而琴居其首。“琴”在這里特指古琴，亦稱“七弦琴”，距今已有三千多年的歷史。《琴操》中有“伏羲作琴”的記載，據說伏羲創制的琴只有一根弦，后舜改為五弦，周文王增一弦，到了武王伐紂時，又增一弦為七弦，始成定制。我們今天看到的古琴就是七弦琴。

關于古代帝王制琴的記載，未必盡是史實。當帝王的，既要讓老百姓吃飽肚子，又要防御外敵入侵，還要發動戰爭統一天下，哪來的時間鉆研古琴？多半是后世假托他們的名義罷了，但這些記載和傳說至少從一個角度說明了古琴源遠流長的歷史。

可以肯定的是，到了周朝，古琴已經成為民間非常流行的樂器。《詩經》中有關琴的詩句比比皆是。“窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之（《詩經·國風·關雎》）；我有嘉賓，鼓瑟鼓琴（《詩經·小雅·鹿鳴》）；琴瑟在御，莫不靜好（《詩經·鄭風·女曰雞鳴》）……可見，古琴已經走進日常生活，成為人們表達愛慕、招待賓客、抒發情感的藝術形式。

古琴音域寬廣，音色深沉，余音悠長，其清、和、淡、雅的音樂品質，最適合寄托文人超凡脫俗的處事心態，千百年來，一直是讀書人和士大夫修身養性、抒發情懷的音樂形式，也因此被賦予了深厚的文化內涵。

與古琴相關的典故有很多：俞伯牙和鐘子期高山流水遇知音；嵇康刑場撫琴，一曲《廣陵散》，遂成千古絕唱；諸葛亮巧施空城計，彈琴退敵……帶琴字的成語更是不勝枚舉，琴瑟和鳴、如鼓琴瑟、琴劍飄零、對牛彈琴、焚琴煮鶴……足見琴在人們日常生活中的地位。

《紅樓夢》描寫的是封建社會大家族的生活，自然少不了琴。第八十六回，寶玉到瀟湘館去看林黛玉，見她正在看一本書，書上的字一個也不認得。有的像“芍”字，有的像“茫”字；也有一個“大”字旁邊“九”字加上一勾，中間又添個“五”字；也有上頭“五”字“六”字又添一個“木”字，底下又是一個“五”字。原來，黛玉正在看一本琴譜。

賈寶玉不懂琴譜，卻對上面像漢字又不是漢字的“天書”很感興趣，非要林黛玉教他不可。黛玉道：“不用教的，一說便可以知道的。”寶玉道：“我是個糊涂人，得教我那個‘大’字加一勾，中間一個‘五’字的。”黛玉笑道：“這‘大’字‘九’字是用左手大拇指按琴上的‘九徽’，這一勾加‘五’字是右手鉤‘五弦’，并不是一個字，乃是一聲，是極容易的。”

別看林黛玉說得輕描淡寫，其實古琴特別講究，不論是琴譜還是彈奏手法都非常復雜。這段文字并不長，卻不好理解，翻譯起來就更難了。

閔福德的譯文：

Baoyu was completely carried away:

"Oh, coz! How wonderful it all sounds! But I am afraid I still don't understand these peculiar characters. Please teach me how to read some of them."

"I don't need to teach you. It's easy."

"But I am such a fool! Please help me! Take that one there—all I can make out is Hook, with Big on top and Five in the middle."

Dai-yu laughed at him.

"The Big and Nine on top mean you stop the string with the thumb of your left hand at the ninth fret. The Hook and Five mean you hook the middle finger of your right hand slightly and pull the fifth string towards you. So you see, it is not what we would call a character, it's more a cluster of signs telling you what the next note is and how to play it. It's very easy..."

古琴的彈奏是左手按琴弦，右手彈琴，琴身外側有十三個鑲嵌的標志，叫做“徽”，是定音的標志。閔福德用“the ninth fret”來翻譯“九徽”，十分恰當。“fret”的意思是琴格，也叫音品（牛津字典的解釋是one of the bars on the long thin part of a guitar, etc. Frets show you where to press the strings with your fingers to produce particular sounds.)。這一段最難處理的是最后一句，“并不是一個字，乃是一聲”。如果翻譯成It is not a character, but a sound (或note),就偏離原意了，因為原文說得很清楚，那不是一個字，而是幾個字組合在一起，表示左手按弦的位置和右手彈奏的位置和手法，如此這般才能彈奏出所要的琴音。閔福德將這句看似簡單實則復雜的話詳細地解釋出來，告訴外國讀者，那不是一個字，而是一堆符號，告訴你是什么音高，如何彈奏（a cluster of signs telling you what the next note is and how to play it)。為了突出黛玉耐心解釋的口吻，閔福德還用了“so you see, it is not what we would call a character, it is more...”,用聊天的語氣，讓對話娓娓道來，場景如在眼前。

林黛玉的一番解釋讓寶玉喜不自勝，也想跟著學琴，誰知林黛玉下面的一段話卻給他澆了一盆冷水。

黛玉道：“琴者，禁也。古人制下，原以治身，涵養性情，抑其淫蕩，去其奢侈。若要撫琴，必擇靜室高齋，或在層樓的上頭，在林石的里面，或是山巔上，或是水涯上。再遇著那天地清和的時候，風清月朗，焚香靜坐，心不外想，氣血和平，才能與神合靈，與道合妙。所以古人說‘知音難遇。’若無知音，寧可獨對著那清風明月，蒼松怪石，野猿老鶴，撫弄一番，以寄興趣，方為不負了這琴。還有一層，又要指法好，取音好。若必要撫琴，先須衣冠整齊，或鶴氅或深衣，要如古人的象表，那才能稱圣人之器。然后盥了手，焚上香，方才將身就在榻邊，把琴放在案上，坐在第五徽的地方兒，對著自己的當心，兩手方從容抬起：這才心身俱正。還要知道輕重疾徐、卷舒自若、體態尊重方好。”寶玉道：“我們學著玩，若這么講究起來，那就難了。”

林黛玉的這段話，簡直就是一堂古琴藝術講座，從琴的旨趣到心境，從撫琴的姿態到指法，說得頭頭是道。如此雅致的文字，深刻的道理，閔福德教授是如何轉換成英文的呢？

"The essence of the Qin," replied Dai-yu, "is restraint. It was created in ancient times to help man purify himself and lead a gentle and sober life, to quell all wayward passions and to curb every riotous impulse. If you wish to play, then you must first seek out a quiet chamber, a studio with distant view, or upper room; or some secluded nook among rocks and trees, on craggy mountain-top, by water edge... Let the weather be clear and calm, a gentle breeze, a moon-lit night. Light some incense, and sit in silent meditation. Empty the mind of outward thoughts. Poise Breath and Blood in Perfect Harmony. Your Soul may now commune with the Divine, and enter into that mysterious Union with the Way.

"As the ancients said, true music-lover have always been few. If there is no one able to share your music's true delight, then sit alone, and serenade the breeze and moonlight, hymn the ancient pines and weather-worn rocks; let wild monkeys and venerable cranes hear your song, rather than the vulgar mob, whose dull ears would only sully the precious virtue of the Qin. 

"So much for the setting. The next two essentials are finger-technique and touch. And before you think of playing, be sure to dress in a suitable style—perfectly in a swansdown cape or other antique robe. Assume the dignified manner of the ancients, a manner in keeping with the chosen instrument of the sages. Wash your hands. Light the incense. Sit on the edge of your couch. Place the Qin on the table before you, and sit with your chest opposite the fifth fret. Raise both hands slowly and gracefully. You are now ready, in body and mind, to begin. 

"You must while playing observe carefully the dynamic markings—piano, forte, allegro, adagio—and maintain a relaxed but serious manner at all the times. 

"Goodness me!" cried Bao-yu. "I was thinking we could do it for fun! If it's as complicated as that, I'm not sure I'd be up to it!"

第一句，“琴者，禁也”，語出南宋《琴議篇》，意思是琴的內涵是為了禁邪歸正，以和人心。閔福德將這句話譯為“The essence of the Qin is restraint”,很好地詮釋了“琴者，禁也”文字背后的深意。林黛玉的第二句話，是對“琴者，禁也”的進一步解釋。古人制琴，原為治身、養性、止淫、去奢，閔福德將這四種功能逐個譯出：“It was created in ancient times to help man purify himself and lead a gentle and sober life, to quell all wayward passions and to curb every riotous impulse”。剛看到這句話，感覺閔福德的翻譯有點長，就試著將“原以治身”和“涵養性情”合在一起譯為to cultivate one’s mind and character,將“抑其淫蕩”和“去其奢侈”合并譯為to curb waywardness and extravagance。這樣一來，字數少了很多，但卻增加了waywardness和extravagance這樣的抽象名詞，語意反而變得模糊了。思來想去，還是閔福德厲害，不服不行。

接著，林黛玉又強調了撫琴時的心境：心不外想，血氣平和，才能與神合靈，與道合妙。原文非常雅潔，所以譯文也不能拖沓，心不外想—Empty the mind of outside thoughts—排除外部雜念；血氣平和—Poise Breath and Blood in Perfect Harmony—平衡呼吸與血脈；與神合靈—Your Soul may now commune with the Divine—魂與神交；與道合妙—enter into that mysterious Union with the Way—與道合一。閔福德的譯文不僅清晰準確，還有極強的節奏感，實屬難得。

彈奏古琴，講究坐姿身法，不能搖頭晃腦，前仰后合，亦不可飛撫作勢，態度輕薄。所以，林黛玉說要“將身就在榻邊，把琴放在案上，坐在第五徽的地方兒，對著自己的當心，兩手方從容抬起：這才心身俱正”。Sit on the edge of your couch. Place the Qin on the table before you, and sit with your chest opposite the fifth fret. Raise both hands slowly and gracefully. You are now ready, in body and mind, to begin.我覺得，這段話中最難翻譯的，倒是貌似簡單的“從容”二字。大部分詞典（參見外研社的《漢英詞典》）對“從容”的解釋是calmly, unhurriedly, leisurely,但放在本句中均不妥帖。calmly指沉著冷靜，unhurriedly指不急不迫，都是面對外部情況時的態度；leisurely雖然將就可用，但又偏于閑散，所以，閔福德非常巧妙地用了slowly and gracefully，于平淡無奇中顯示出深厚的功力。

琴中有至理，琴中有真味。為人要有劍膽琴心，交友要鼓瑟鼓琴，過日子要琴瑟和鳴，生活中偶爾也會對牛彈琴，但最好不要亂彈琴，絕對不要煮鶴焚琴。

每次讀《紅樓夢》都會引發思考，有所體會，對照學習前輩大師的英文翻譯，收獲更多，正所謂琴音雅韻，樂在其中！